Rashmika Mandanna Responds to ‘South Indian Accent’ Criticism: ‘I Will Be a Product of That’

Rashmika Mandanna has built a career that stretches well beyond the boundaries of one regional film industry. From Kannada and Telugu cinema to major Hindi releases, the actor has steadily established herself as a pan-India star. With that journey has also come the challenge of working across multiple languages and adapting to different dialects.

In a recent interview with Vogue, Rashmika addressed the recurring comments about her Hindi accent and the debate over whether it sounds distinctly “South Indian.” Rather than being bothered by the criticism, she said her regional upbringing is naturally reflected in the way she speaks.

The actor also opened up about how she learns languages while working with teams from different parts of India.

Rashmika Mandanna on Learning Different Languages

Rashmika said she is fluent in Kodava, but English remains the language she instinctively turns to when she is trying to understand or process an emotion deeply.

She also admitted that learning new languages can be challenging. According to the actor, people around her on film sets have played an important role in helping her pick up Telugu and other languages.

“Learning languages is hard. Coaches are one thing, but the reason I fare well is that my team members speak various languages,” Rashmika said.

She explained that her assistant’s regular use of Telugu helped her become more comfortable with the language.

“I’m decent at Telugu because my assistant speaks it. I had no option but to pick it up, because I had to make him understand what I was saying,” she said, adding a humorous example of how she would ask for everyday phrases such as how to say, “Give me food” in Telugu.

Her comments underline how much of her language learning has happened organically through years of working in multilingual film environments.

Rashmika Mandanna on the ‘South Indian Accent’ Debate

Rashmika also spoke about the contrasting reactions she receives from audiences in different parts of the country.

“My South fans tell me my accent doesn’t sound like theirs. North Indians say my accent is from the South,” she said.

The actor joked about the conflicting observations, asking, “They’re saying I’m from here, they’re saying I’m from there, so where am I from?”

For Rashmika, however, the discussion does not appear to be something she feels the need to resolve. She pointed to her upbringing as a natural influence on the way she speaks.

“I studied and grew up in the South. I will be a product of that,” she said.

Her response reflects the linguistic diversity of her career, where she has had to move between languages and audiences while retaining elements of her own background.

From Kannada and Telugu Cinema to Bollywood

Rashmika began her acting career in Kannada cinema before becoming a prominent name in Telugu films. Her growing popularity eventually took her into Hindi cinema, where she made her Bollywood debut with Goodbye in 2022.

By the time she entered the Hindi film industry, she was already widely recognised for films such as Pushpa: The Rise and Sita Ramam. Her popularity across different language markets helped strengthen her position as one of the prominent actors working across regional and Hindi cinema.

She subsequently appeared in Hindi projects including Mission Majnu and Animal in 2023. Animal, in particular, became a major commercial success.

Rashmika’s Pan-India Film Journey Continues

Rashmika continued balancing projects across the South Indian and Hindi film industries. Following Pushpa 2 in 2024, she was seen in Chhaava in 2025.

Her career has increasingly reflected the pan-India nature of contemporary Indian cinema, with the actor moving between productions made in different languages and working with filmmakers and co-stars from across the country.

Her upcoming projects include Ranabaali, Mysaa and Raaka, keeping her schedule spread across multiple film industries.

For Rashmika, the accent debate appears to be just another part of navigating a career that crosses linguistic and regional boundaries. Rather than attempting to sound identical to audiences from one particular region, she has embraced the influence of the place where she grew up.